WYO 130 over the Snowy Range closed for the season

LARAMIE, Wyo. – Snowy Range Road (WYO 130) over the high country of the Snowy Range has closed for the season.

The exact closure is between mile marker 48 above Ryan Park on the west and mile marker 36 near Green Rock on the east.

Last weekend’s winter storm dropped additional new snow in the Snowy Range. That snow, combined with strong winds, led to the closure of the road on Saturday, Nov. 3.

WYDOT crews reanalyzed the situation on Monday, Nov. 5, and determined that conditions and future weather forecasts warranted closure of the road for the season.

“With more snow and wind forecast later this week, we expect snow to continue to drift over the roadway,” said District Maintenance Engineer Ralph Tarango. “We keep public safety our top priority in determining when to close the road.”

Snow drifts around WYO 130 already exceed a few feet and are expected to continue to build with more snow and high winds in the forecast. The Med Bow Snotel site in the Snowy Range at 10,500 feet is already recording a snow depth of 34 inches, and the Brooklyn Lake Snotel site at 10,240 feet is reporting 15 inches.

WYO 130 over the Snowy Range and WYO 70 over Battle Pass close annually in late autumn when relatively low traffic and deep snow accumulations render plowing operations impractical. Last year, WYO 130 closed for the season on Nov. 20, 2017.

In past years, WYO 130 has closed on Nov. 13 in 2011, Dec. 7 in 2012, Nov. 4 in 2013, Nov. 15 in 2014, Nov. 11 in 2015, and Nov. 28 in 2016.

WYO 130 has a target opening date of Memorial Day weekend, and crews from Laramie and Saratoga will work to reopen the road in the spring.

WYO 130 and WYO 70 are two of several high-elevation mountain roads in Wyoming with seasonal closures. WYO 130 tops out at more than 10,800 feet, and WYO 70 crosses the Continental Divide at the 9,955-foot Battle Pass.

For information about this news release, contact WYDOT District 1 public information specialist Matt Murphy at (307) 745-2142.